Story No.1

One of my all time favorite stories is of one of my favorite residents, Fred. Fred was very actively fit. He had Alzheimer’s and suffered with Aphasia. Aphasia is the loss of ability to understand or express speech caused by brain damage. Fred understood more than he could speak though. He was a gentle, kind loving man that always wanted to help everyone. He always participated in any activity.

Every morning Fred would wait for me to get to work. I always came in like a vagabond filled with bags on each arm. Mostly from pre-crafts, costumes, props or decorations I had worked on the night before. Fred always helped me to my office or perspective place for my bags of stuff. It gave him purpose, after all he had always worked and helped people.

One day at the Department Heads morning meeting the Director of Nursing said that she was concerned about Fred. She shared that he was trying to get out of the building. SCALF’s are secure buildings for the residents safety. They began talking about whether Fred could stay or be given a discharge for the fear of him getting out and getting hurt. I almost died right then and there. Fred was ok I pleaded. Let’s just see why he wants out. I knew in my heart that Fred would listen to me. I knew he would stay with me.

The very next morning I opened the door and took Fred on the porch. He grabbed a broom that was out there and began sweeping. He swept from one side of the porch to the other. There was not a leaf in site when he was done. He placed the broom back were it was propped and gave me a smile and I gave him a hug and thanked him. This became part of our morning routine until the weather got to cool and the leaves were all gone. The morning after I removed the broom back inside, Fred went to the front door and looked out. He couldn’t remember why he was there and walked to a chair and sat down. You see in removing the broom I removed the obstacle that reminded him of his past.

Fred’s past: Fred owned a Hardware store and when this behavior started I called his daughter. She shared with me that in the mornings when Fred got to his hardware store and got the lights on that he would grab his broom and sweep off the sidewalk. The broom was his glimpse into his past. His comfort if only for a moment.